Stage 3 - Thursday, January 24: Unley - Victor Harbor , 139km

Davis takes victory for UniSA - Australia

An unstoppable Allan Davis took the third stage of the Tour Down Under into
Victor Harbor in a sprint finish that saw an emotional Davis dedicate his win
to the UNiSA team. After a break away group of three riders once again dominated
the stage, the sprinters teams took control of the race to reel them back in
a calculated display of power, before Davis took the final surge to the line
from new leader Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole).

"The boys did a great job in the last couple of kilometers and I would just
like to dedicate this victory to UniSA," Davis said shortly after the finish.
After finishing his 2007 season with Discovery Channel Davis has yet to sign
for a new team. An offer from the wildcard team of UniSA allowed him to start
his tenth tour this year, the only rider to do have ridden every edition.

The final kilometer of today's stage included a series of tight corners before
finishing in a stiff breeze, that had riders seeking shelter on the left of
the road as they rounded the last slight right hand bend making the sprint perfect
for the stronger sprinters as the shortest line to finish was also directly
into the wind.

"I was in a good position coming into the finish through the S bend," Davis
explained. "I probably started my sprint a bit earlier than I would have liked
to but Philip Gilbert had a really good gap and I had to go about 350 out."

Phillip Gilbert (Francaise Des Jeux) attacked early in the final two kilometer
surging clear as the bunch rounded the technical S bend, just 600 meters from
the finish. Sensing the stage was getting away from him, Davis began his sprint
to overtake the Belgian and take the victory on the line from Renshaw by a bike
length.

With overnight leader, Graeme Brown (Rabobank) no where to be seen on the line,
and with the six bonus seconds he received for his second place, Renshaw once
again finds himself in the overall leaders jersey.

"It was a bit unfortunate what happened yesterday but it gave my guys a bit
of a rest in today's stage as it was Rabobank's job to ride on the front, so
it gave them a bit of a break before tomorrow," Renshaw said referring to the
mix up with the overall leaders jersey yesterday.

"Them [the team] having a rest is not such a bad thing, it could be just the
thing that wins me or Simon [Gerrans] the jersey.

"It's just so tight with just a few seconds between everyone; it really looks
like it will come down to the wire," he concluded.

After some attacking early in the stage, things settled down as the race followed
the same formula as the past two stages, with three riders escaping and gaining
a maximum of 5'40" before the peloton began winding up the pace with 40 kilometers
remaining to reel them with just three kilometers to the line.

The attack from Belgian Gilbert ensued, but Davis was too strong in the final
punch to the line as he held off Renshaw and Hayman for the win.

How it unfolded

Stage 3 of the Tour Down Under set about with a promising start as the peloton
ignited attacks up the Southern Expressway, signalling its ferocious intent.
A group of three riders - Jerome Pineau (Bouygues Telecom), Simon Clarke (UniSA-Australian
National Team) and Frantisek Rabon (Team High Road) - went off the front as
soon as the peloton crossed the official start line from the neutral zone.

The trio were caught some five kilometres down the road, but the reunion of
the peloton ignited a flurry of breakaway attempts. At first it was Stage 1's
day long breakaway rider Ritchie Porte (UniSA-Australian National Team) that
led a group 200 metres up the road which included Allan Johansen (Team CSC),
Bernhard Eisel (Team High Road), Kjell Carlstrom (Liquigas) and Yann Huguet
(Cofidis).

When the group was brought back at kilometre nine it took no time at all before
Philippe Gilbert (Francaise Des Jeux) and Nicolas Portal (Cassie D'Epargne)
went off the front. Liquigas and Team CSC clearly weren't happy with the pair's
position and move their respective riders toward the front to chase down the
escapees.

A cluster of riders went off the front in order to neutralize the duo's attempts
and by kilometre 14 the peloton was back where it started as a single group.
The union wouldn't last long however, with an attack by Wesley Sulzberger (UniSA-Australian
National Team) being followed by Mickael Delage (Francaise des Jeux) and Kjell
Carlstrom (Liquigas).

While Spanish outfit Euskaltel-Euskadi took to driving the peloton's efforts,
the trio's escape put to bed any hope of a larger break going down the road
and staying away for the stage's duration. Similar to the previous two stages,
the escape group's lead ballooned rapidly from 1.10 minutes at the 27th kilometre,
out to 5.45 minutes just 10 kilometres later.

As Rabobank took control of the peloton and the race headed inland from the
coast, Delage claimed the King of the Mountains points from Carlstrom and Sulzberger.
Once up in the mountains the lead group's margin continued to surge, increasing
to 6.30 minutes - a similar gap to which the peloton allowed Tuesday's escape
group to hold.

The leading trio crossed the day's first sprint in the same order as the King
of the Mountains, before descending Mount Compass as an impressive 85 km/h,
before tackling the second sprint in the same order yet again.

Behind the leaders the peloton had finally ramped up its efforts to bring the
leaders back, with the margin falling to 5.30 minutes by kilometre 90. As the
peloton entered the final 40 kilometres disaster struck for Stage 1 winner Mark
Renshaw (Credit Agricole) as he suffered a puncture. The French squad held back
three of its riders to time trial its general classification contender back
into the running, just in time for the run into Victor Harbour's finish line.

The bunch continued to reel in the leaders, brining the margin back to 4.20
minutes with 20 kilometres remaining. The pace however started to prove too
hot for the peloton, with the group fracturing into two distinct sections.

The margin had dropped to 40 seconds inside the final 10 kilometres. As the
peloton reached the five kilometres remaining marker the escape group's time
out front had all but come to an end, with just 200 metres separating the two.

With the racing entering its final stages, Australian national champion Matt
Lloyd (Silence-Lotto) was dealt a cruel blow - suffering a puncture like compatriot
Renshaw.

As Lloyd sought to salvage his race, the leading trio were brought back by
the front half of the peloton. The reunion in the final three kilometres saw
Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Caisse D'Epargne)launch a counter attack that would be
followed by Pineau, Alessandro Proni (Quick Step) and Stuart O'Grady (Team CSC).

The riders would re-unite one final time before Gilbert shattered the remnants
of the lead group with an early bid for glory. The Belgian's push out front
forced the sprinters hands, leaving the riders with a kilometre-long sprint
for home.

As Gilbert's margin of only a few meters reduced in to nothing, it was Australia's
Allan Davis (UniSA-Australian National Team) that crossed the line a clear winner.
Davis' victory topped an all-Australian podium in the nation's first ProTour
race, with Mark Renshaw (Credit Agricole) taking second place from Mathew Hayman
(Rabobank) in third.